Michigan

Since opening as a brewery in 2001, the Warren establishment has become a staple in Metro Detroit, synonymous with unique beers that push the limits just enough, according to officials. Pictured above is Kuhnhenn's Fourth Dementhia (4D) is a bourbon barrel old ale.
(Courtesy image)

WARREN, MI- At least two times a year, it’s not unusual to see people lined up waiting to get into Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. for its summer and winter solstice release parties.

Since opening as a brewery in 2001, the Warren establishment has become a staple in Metro Detroit, synonymous with unique beers that push the limits just enough, according to officials.

“We like to say that we have beers with distinct personalities,” said Jon Piepenbrok, Kuhnhenn director of marketing and sales. “We really specialize on pushing the envelope on extreme beers, but still drinkable.”

Kuhnhenn started as a home brew store by brothers Bret and Eric Kuhnhenn in their father’s hardware store in 1998, after Eric brought back a home brew of his own from college.

Piepenbrok said the growth of the home brew supplies went so well, the store eventually stopped buying hardware supplies and decided to turn the facility into their own beer supply store and brewery. “At the time, there were really no home brew shops,” he said.

Since then, Kuhnhenn has expanded their typical beer offerings to 20-26 taps, more than doubled the size of their tap room and are currently working on a 35,000-square-foot production facility to help produce some of their mainstay beers for distribution.

The current location, 5919 Chicago Road, has a capacity of about 1,600 barrels. A barrel equals 31 gallons, or about 330 12-ounce servings.

During the “tour de beer,” we will be looking for the brewery with the best overall experience, including the variety of beer they produce, quality of menu (if food is offered), ambiance and the staff's craft beer IQ.